Interesting frame design - is the head tube meant to pop off in an impact, like a crumple zone or something?

Car companies don't make bikes to sell. They don't care if no-one buys them (and if some uber-fans do, they're quids in) - they do it as a PR stunt to show how cool and environmentally friendly they are.

I've still got two Daewoo Shuttle folders in the attic - a single speed and a three-speed. Really want an alu one, but they're impossible to find. That's a bit different, though - Daewoo make everything, from ships to cars to dishwashers.

They all seem to have one thing in common. They all seem to want to ignore what everyone else has settled on as working lines for a bike and do something 'different'. Why!

Because they're radical, innovative, overpaid car designers who obviously must be better at designing stuff than someone who just designs push bikes for a living.

A few years back, Telewest (for a bit of PR) wanted to have a go at the HPV land speed record attempt, which is held every year at Battle Mountain, Arizona. They hired a bunch of F1 engineers, who obviously know lots more than a bike designer about designing fast bikes, and spent over quarter of a million quid on their machine, and took it to Arizona confident of winning the record.

A bunch of blokes from Canada, who turned up with a machine on the back of a pickup, wiped the floor with them. They got beaten by the women's team too...

+1 daewoo aren't a car company, they are a big manufacturing company who happen to make cars aswell.

Honda made a decent bike I seem to remember, but yeah most of them are fugly and not even function over form, just different for the sake of it. Who knows, maybe their motorist target audience quite like the looks of them.

I used to love the fact that some Cannondales bore the Volvo logo for a while. Presumably because of team sponsorship. I know it's not the same thing, but I like Volvo and would probably buy anything with their name on it.

Active people set their sights high. It is therefore only logical that quattro GmbH should likewise provide exclusive forms of mobility on two wheels: With the second generation of the successful Audi bikes, quattro GmbH has come up with something special for riders who are experienced in heading off the beaten track and leisure cyclists.

These bikes reflect the same expertise that is behind the cars produced by AUDI AG: sportiness, original design, innovative technology and top quality standards for materials and manufacturing.

The stars in the premium Audi bike range for 2003 are the Audi Cross Pro and Audi Cross mountain bikes. These take over from their predecessors of the same name and feature innovations in the areas of frame construction, gear and brake components that have been developed over the past two years.

Audi Design was responsible for designing these bikes. quattro GmbH worked together with the Audi Aluminium Centre in Neckarsulm on their development and realisation.

The frame and seat tower, for example, are innovative, unique in-house developments. The partner company Centurion Renner KG is responsible for producing the bikes and for providing competent service.

Both Audi bikes have suspension and dampers for both the front and rear wheel. This assures outstanding ride comfort. Whereas hydraulic elements take care of the damping, the suspension is either pneumatic or uses steel springs. In technical terms, the system is approximately similar to the revolutionary running gear of the allroad quattro, it improves adjustability and reduces weight by around 300 grams.

The hydraulic front and rear damping is also adjustable. Damping response can be adjusted at a separate valve, from sensitive to sporty/stiff, and thus adapted to individual needs. As a special feature, the spring travel of the Manitou Black Elite suspension fork used on the Cross Pro can be adjusted from 80 to 100 mm.

The Audi Cross and Cross Pro mountain bikes have hydraulic disc brakes with perforated discs. These provide excellent braking power from only slight operating pressure, and ensure outstanding braking performance in wet conditions. The drive and shifting components for both wheels are from the XT and Deore top series of the Japanese market leader Shimano.

The Audi Cross Pro, which weighs just 11.9 kilograms, can be fitted as an option with Mavic Crossmax SL wheels. These have 24 lightweight aluminium aero spokes and CNC-machined rims and hubs for further weight optimisation.

The Audi bikes are available in three frame heights: 46, 50 and 54 centimetres.

That may be the case, but they went on the market when the cars were being widely promoted in this country, so the association was there.

No one thought, "Daewoo, ah, the company that makes many things, including dishwashers and other stuff", did they? Well, they might have done. They were sold on the back of the car brand because, well, cars and bikes are 'cool'.

Edit: geordiemick00 - Why have you posted a picture of a carbon On One?